All the Myriad Ways
by HopeGale
Summary: A collection of various alternate timelines, viewpoints, and other stuff related to In the Eye of the Beholder. Features such things as: male protagonist, New Game second cycle, various ways to die, love interest explorations, and other characters' viewpoints on the story's events.
1. Alexander Arrives in Quartz

**A/N: Hey! So, if you've read In the Eye of the Beholder, you've probably seen a couple of "alternate timeline" extra chapters in there. As it turns out, there's a lot of potential behind those alternate timelines and viewpoints, enough that I think they deserve their own little corner so as to not clog up the main story. It would be to your benefit to read through In the Eye of the Beholder up to whatever chapter is marked at the top of each individual chapter I'll post here, but ultimately it's up to you whether or not you feel you need to.**

 **Some of the alternates I'll be working with here are listed below:**

 **\- The "New Game+" second cycle  
\- Exploring all the various love interest paths, including the harem ones  
\- Making a different decision at critical plot points  
\- Different ways to die throughout the story  
\- Different ways of dealing with Social Links  
\- How other characters view the story and its events  
** **\- What if the protagonist was male, rather than female? (This one has its own version of all of the above.)**

 **And anything else that counts! So, enough of that for now. It's time to get to the good stuff.**

* * *

 _(Alexander arrives in Quartz - read up to Chapter 1)_

 **August 22, 2015 – Saturday, Afternoon – Sunny**

The distance from Crystal Rapids, Texas, to Quartz, Texas, was approximately 590 miles. It was never going to be a short trip, and Alexander had anticipated a lot of boredom, so he had let his music player's shuffle function act as a radio of sorts while he drove his car behind his parents' car and the moving van.

After nearly eight hours of driving, the brown-haired sixteen-year-old was beginning to grow weary of all this traveling. He looked to his right and saw his blonde-haired younger brother, Justin, leaning towards the window and looking out at the endless greenery, with an expression on his face that was either bored or sleepy or both. It was a shame that he couldn't drive yet, or else he would've made him switch off with him every few hours.

"Hey." He said to his brother. Justin looked over at him and raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"You better get that license of yours pretty soon. I'm tired of having to drive you everywhere." He shrugged.

"Same here. We're gonna be less than half an hour from Houston, right? We are not gonna be bored _ever_ like we were back home." Justin leaned back in the passenger seat and glanced at the display on the car showing the name of the song as the currently playing song ended and another one began.

"For sure. We get to start over, make a new image for ourselves. Nothing's gonna stop us now. Hey, how much farther is it gonna be? I'm sick of driving – and we still have to unload all our crap from the moving van when we get there." Justin looked up their position on his phone and said to him,

"Says thirty miles away from Peter Street. Hey, though – looks like our new place is going to be pretty close to our new school. We might actually still be able to walk over there." Alexander looked over at him and shook his head.

"Nah. Not unless the car breaks down. The neighborhood might be good for running, though. We'll see when we get there... too bad we can't drive any faster, or else we would've been there by now." He sighed, feeling the speed limit of seventy-five miles per hour was still too slow. Either way, they'd get there. Eventually.

 **Saturday, Evening – Clear**

Alexander flopped down on his bed belly-first, exhausted from having to move all of his things into his room. He hadn't bothered to unpack anything besides the bare essentials, and stared out of the window looking down at the street lit up by a nearby lamp.

"Finally did it. Finally... away from that damn hick town forever." He mumbled, already feeling like he was about to slip away into unconsciousness. He looked at the window and saw something flying towards it – initially he thought it was some kind of moth, but instead it was a white butterfly, coming to rest on the glass nearest his face. That it was a white butterfly was odd, but even stranger was that it looked like it was glowing, a soft white light in the darkness.

Before he could focus upon it further, the butterfly flew away, leaving as quickly as it had come. He turned his head the other way and closed his eyes.

 _Whatever. Probably just the light outside screwing with me. Butterflies don't glow._

The next time he opened his eyes, he was no longer in his room. He looked around and saw that he was in a vast, black abyss, alone with a spotlight on him. He looked up and saw that the source of the spotlight was impossibly far away, like a star was shining down on him from across the galaxy. He raised his hands to his mouth and shouted,

"Hey! Is there anybody out there? Hellooooooooo?" He was given no response. He turned around again to see if there was anybody, and was startled to find that there _was_ another person – one that had appeared behind his back without a sound.

"Hello." Alexander was face-to-face with a man wearing a butterfly mask, with a black-and-white motif about his outfit. He was dressed like he was going to some kind of costume party, like he was that guy from that musical about the opera, except with a different mask. A _butterfly_ mask, with the same contrast of black and white as the rest of his outfit, with the butterfly being the white in the center.

"Who are you? Where am I? What's going on?" Alexander spoke rapidly, still unsettled by the masked man's presence.

"Can you tell me who you are? What is your name?" The man spoke, in a calm and friendly manner. The sound of his voice was strangely soothing to him, like he was talking to an old buddy of his that he hadn't seen in forever. Alexander looked him in the eyes and saw an honesty and clarity in them. Maybe this was supposed to happen – he _did_ ask if anyone was out there...

"Yeah, I'm Alexander. Alexander Melvin Black." He wasn't sure why he said his full name, but it felt proper to do so. The man nodded, and raised his hand to his mouth, thinking for a moment about his next words.

"Yes. Alexander. That's right. There are few people that can remember their name when I come to them like this. Since you have given me your name, I will now give you mine. I am Philemon, a dweller of the realm between consciousness and unconsciousness, and the one who exists as the goodness of all souls."

The dark abyss was then swept away by a multitude of colors, and Alexander found himself standing on rocky ground surrounded by tall plateaus and a river to his right. A raft was tied to a pier that had been built along the river, and he could see a familiar looking boy and girl standing nearby. The girl was wearing a pink jacket, with long brown hair and a smile on her face as she listened to the boy talk. Alexander looked at the boy and immediately recognized him as himself from about four years ago – that navy blue jacket was something he had thrown out after it had gotten too small for him.

"So if that's me, then is that Lydia..? No way, that can't be-" He was about to move closer to them when the scene shifted away from him, and he was now standing beside a different point in the river – one where it was flowing at a dangerous pace, with frothing whitecaps that were dashed to shreds against multiple large rocks. He saw the same boy he identified as his younger self clawing furiously at the dirt beside the river and sobbing, and turned away from him to glare at Philemon.

"How the hell do you know about this?! Who _are you?_ " Philemon closed his eyes, remaining silent. In a moment, they were no longer by the side of the rapids, but instead in an endlessly long valley, one with green grass, a cloudless sunny sky, and milky white quartz deposits scattered about as far as the eye could see. Alexander waited for a response from Philemon, but he seemed to be focused on their surroundings, surveying them and nodding again, as if he had heard something Alexander did not.

"So, this is how it shall be? Very well." He spoke.

"Hello? Are you listening to me? What are you trying to do?" His eyes returned to Alexander's.

"Alexander, I have foreseen the future. At the place you now live, you will come across an ordeal set in motion by those who would desire humanity's undoing. This place we are in now will be the battleground upon which the fate of all will be decided, and you will be swept up in it and made to choose between yourself or the person you think you should become. I am here to grant to you the power you will need in order to overcome your trial. Please, give me your hands."

"Why should I trust you? How could you possibly know what happened to me – no one else was there that day, I swear!" He expected some kind of defensive reaction from Philemon. Instead, he blinked, whatever expression he might have had obscured by the mask he wore.

"I am you, and you are me. Your memories are my own. You do not have to trust me; you are free to decline my offer if that is what you truly desire. However, you will then have to face yourself alone. You may never find the healing you seek for your loss..." His eyes never left Alexander's. He noticed how much they reminded him of his own. He could see the same frustration, sadness, and anger in them that he still saw in his own from time to time, and for a moment he thought he was staring into a mirror before realizing that there probably _was_ some truth to what he was saying.

"My loss... damn it, you _do know,_ don't you? So if I take your power, it'll make everything better, is that it? Okay, fine. Here." Alexander put his hands out, allowing Philemon to take them in his.

"In you I bestow the power of the Beholder, whose perceptions are capable of determining the future. I grant you the ability to fashion pure and unblemished ideals, such that by your will, you will play a part in writing the destiny of man." He let go of her hands, and smiled at him.

"Very soon, you will meet with a servant of mine in the same manner you have met me. Go forth and live without regret, Alexander. The answers you seek will find you in due time." Philemon turned away from him, looking off at a point in the distance Alexander couldn't discern. His body began to glow white and shimmer, as if he was about to fade away. The valley that was around them had all of its colors drained away as the black abyss returned in its place, the illumination from Philemon's body the only light in the darkness.

"Remember that I am you, and you are me. I will always be with you, watching over from within. We will see each other again..." With those words, he dissolved into a flock of white butterflies, flying past and through Alexander, giving him the same white glow. He could see Philemon's mask briefly floating without a body before it too turned into butterflies.

* * *

 **August 23, 2015 – Sunday, Morning – Sunny**

Alexander woke to the sensation of someone yanking his leg, and whirled around in his bed to find Justin snickering at him.

"Get up, rockhead. We gotta get dressed." Alexander groaned, looking at his nearby phone to see that it was about seven in the morning. Normally, he would've been up at that hour by himself – but after driving for nearly nine hours and having to unpack all his stuff yesterday, he would have liked to be able to sleep in for once.

"Dressed? For what?"

"Church. Mom and dad found one nearby that they want us to go to. Service starts in forty-five minutes and they want us down there in fifteen." Alexander yawned, sighing. He got up from his bed and began searching the boxes in his room for his clothes.

"Hope it's better than the one back home." He said, locating the box that held all of his nicer clothes.

"I think just about anything would be better than the church back home." Justin remarked as Alexander retrieved a forest green polo shirt and khaki slacks from the box.

"Yeah, you got that right. We won't be 'that family' anymore. Hey, I don't see _you_ getting dressed. Better get to it."

"Uh huh." Justin said and left the room. Alexander finished getting dressed and looked at himself in the full-length mirror that had been sitting by the door.

"Looks good enough." He said to himself, and left his room to go downstairs.

 **Sunday, Evening – Clear**

The church was called Lamb of God Church. The service was pretty good, and even though he and his family had gotten a bunch of attention due to being the new folks on the block, it was all positive attention – a flurry of welcomes, hellos, and recommendations for various church activities that may or may not be worth doing. His family had never been all that into the community aspect, and had been going to church back home almost purely out of obligation and no better options in the last couple of years.

Alexander stood by the window in his room, his day almost coming to an end. Today had been spent unpacking everything and getting groceries, so now his room looked more like _his_ room instead of an empty space full of boxes. It had a pretty good-sized closet that was able to fit all of his clothes with plenty of space for more, and not having to share a room with his brother was pretty sweet as well.

 _So, tomorrow's going to be the first day of the rest of my life. New school, new town, new opportunities, all of them freed of the stigma placed upon me. It's actually happening. The only left thing to do today... is sleep and wake up on the other side. That reminds me – that dream I had with Philemon in it, am I going to have another one like that? I hadn't thought about it, but he said something about me meeting with a servant of his in my dreams._

 _Ah, who am I kidding? It's a dream. Of course nothing like that's gonna happen. That stuff's all in my head._

He laid on the bed and went to sleep, expecting to wake up on his own without his brother tugging at him this time.

However, rather than wake up in his bed, Alexander found himself sitting on a cushiony blue armchair, with wooden armrests that looked like they belonged in the study of some rich guy. He looked up and saw something that made Philemon look positively mundane: a man with a freakishly long nose and a crazy grin, staring at him with eyes wide open. Standing beside him was a young woman, dressed like she was his secretary or something with a deep blue blouse with golden ring-like shapes in it and a similarly colored pencil skirt. She had strikingly white hair for someone so young, and her eyes were an eerie golden color; she stared at him intently, as if trying to figure out something about him.

"Ah! It seems we have yet another interesting guest. Do not worry; you are still fast asleep in the real world." The man spoke, his eyes never leaving Alexander. He looked around and saw that this place was like a dressing room, with big-bulbed lights framing huge mirrors, and racks full of clothes that all looked similar to the ones the young woman was wearing.

"My name is Igor. Welcome to the Velvet Room. This place exists between mind and matter, between dream and reality. If you are here, it means that you have signed a contract, or are very near to doing so. What is your name?"

"Alexander. I don't remember signing any contract. Exists between dream and reality? That sounds like what that guy Philemon was saying about being from the space between consciousness and unconsciousness." Igor's grin widened, and he chuckled for a moment with his eyes closed. His assistant gave him a questioning look, as if she had never seen him act that way before.

"Now that is a name I have not heard in quite some time. You have met my master, it seems. I am a servant of Philemon, and if you have crossed paths with him, then he has already given you the power you need to overcome the approaching trial, and in doing so established a contract. It now falls to my assistant and I to ensure that your power is properly developed. Ada, please, introduce yourself to our guest." The young woman gave him a proper bow.

"My name is Ada. I am also a resident of this Velvet Room. It is my duty to assist you however I can while you are our guest. Also, this is the first time I've ever heard my master laugh. I'll have to remember that about you, Alexander."

"Are you going to keep a file on me, or something? You look like a secretary, I wouldn't be surprised." He responded. Ada glanced at Igor before making eye contact with Alexander.

"That won't be necessary. My memory alone should suffice." She said. Igor then took this moment to speak.

"Well, it seems we still have some time before you awaken. In that case, allow me to present you with the proof of the contract you have made. Ada, if you would."

"Right." She reached up and pulled a large, ornate key with a mask on the end out of thin air, blue light briefly shimmering around it as it materialized in front of Alexander. She gave it to him and he immediately noticed that it felt very real, its weight apparent in his hand.

"That is a key to this Velvet Room. When you return to the real world, you will come across several locations that will allow you to access this place again. Of course, you will be the only one able to see them." Igor said. Alexander inspected the key, and wondered what the doors leading back here would look like.

"But this is a dream, isn't it? Is this key supposed to be symbolic, or are you telling me I'm gonna wake up tomorrow with a key in my bed? What exactly did I get myself into when I made this contract, huh?" Alexander looked into Igor's wide open eyes, and suddenly got the feeling that as freaky as he looked, he didn't seem like such a bad guy. He'd been nothing but polite to him so far, but he sure wasn't Philemon with the whole 'I am you, you are me' stuff.

"All we ask is that your take responsibility for your actions. Your decisions will no doubt change the destinies of those around you, and seeing as how my master has deigned to give you the power of the Beholder, your perceptions of others will also influence how things will unfold. Please keep that in mind as you go forth from this place. Until we meet again..." Before Alexander could ask any more questions, the Velvet Room dissolved around him, leaving him alone in the darkness with the key and sending him back to the real world.

 **August 24, 2015 – Monday, Early Morning – Sunny**

Alexander opened his eyes again and saw that he was back in his room, the dawn's light beginning to become visible from his spot next to the window. He sat up, tossed his covers about for the key, and watched it fly out of his bed and land on the carpeted floor.

"No way." He got out of bed and picked up the key, turning on the bedroom light to see it more clearly. It was indeed the very same key that had been given to him by the white-haired secretary Ada, with the symbol of a mask on the handle. It felt as real to him now as it did when he held it in the Velvet Room.

"This is crazy. I can't still be dreaming, right?" He pinched himself, and after waiting to see if anything changed, took the key and left his bedroom to show his younger brother. Hopefully Justin was already up – if he wasn't, he was about to get woken up anyway. Alexander went down the hall and opened his brother's door, finding him rummaging through folded t-shirts in a drawer.

"Dude, you have _got_ to see this." Justin looked up from the pile of t-shirts and at his brother.

"What?"

"I had the craziest dream last night." He spent a couple of minutes telling his brother about both of the dreams he had experienced, and after a while got to the key that he was now holding in his hand.

"So... some dude with a long nose had his secretary give you _that key_ in your dreams?" Justin pulled on the t-shirt he had picked out, which was red with several concentric black circles with breaks in them – it was the logo of the Alabaster Federation from his favorite third-person shooter, _Spiralis._

"Seriously, this key didn't exist last night. There's no way something like this would've gotten mixed up in our stuff when we moved here. Here, hold it for yourself. It's the real deal." Alexander reversed the key in his hand so that the handle with the mask on it pointed towards Justin. Justin attempted to grab it, but found that his hand was gripping onto air where the key should've been.

"Huh?" He tried to grasp at it, and Alexander watched with incredulity as his brother's fingers literally phased in and out of the key, completely intangible to him.

"Dude. That's _insane._ Hold on." Alexander dropped the key, and watched it land on the ground.

"Try picking it up. Maybe only one person can hold at a time, or something." Justin bent down and tried to grab the key, but once again found that his hand went through the key like it didn't even exist.

"No... Alex, you weren't kidding. What the hell is going on here? We didn't move into a haunted house or something, did we? Is this going to turn out like all those horror movies where some spirit screws with the family before possessing one of the kids? I mean, yeah, whatever that Philemon guy told you doesn't sound like anything out of a horror flick, but this isn't a movie." Alexander picked the key up, and laughed as he realized that he was probably the only one capable of using it.

"No, I don't think this house is haunted. I seriously think something really cool is going to happen with this thing. Hey, though. Don't go blabbing about this to mom and dad – and don't tell anyone at school, either. This is just between us, alright?" Justin looked over to see if either of their parents were nearby to come get them for breakfast and saw that the hall was empty.

"Alright. What do you think it all means? The way you framed it, you made it sound like you're the Chosen One, or something. The Beholder? Beholder of _what?_ " Alexander shrugged.

"I dunno. I was about to just pass it off as jitters or something from moving to a new place, but this key... the fact that this key is _real_ proves to me that those dreams weren't just a coincidence."

"Yeah. Well, unless Philemon or Igor or whoever shows up to take you to some secret facility, we still have to go to school. You should go get dressed." Alexander nodded.

"Right. Hey, what was the name of the school again? Do you know?"

"Ruby J. Fulton. Looked it up last night – it's been open for five years. They're the Falcons, colors are red, white, and blue." Alexander smirked, turning around to go back to his room to get dressed.

"An all-American school if I ever heard of one. Alright. Means there's no way I can miss it. This is gonna be it, the first day of the rest of our lives. I think it's gonna be awesome."


	2. Alexander Awakens to His Persona

_(Alexander awakens to his Persona - read up to Chapter 4 in the main story)  
_

* * *

 **Augu** **st 28, 2015 – Friday, Early Morning – Cloudy**

Alexander looked down at the street from his bedroom window. He had managed to secure a spot on Fulton's cross country team, or at least was pretty much a shoo-in to get it considering the distances he was going to be asked to run were no issue whatsoever for him.

"So, it's going down _today._ " He spoke to the window.

"What's going down today?" He heard Justin's voice behind him, and turned around to see his brother at his doorway.

"You know those two people I met in class on my first day? Allie and Damien? Well, Allie had this theory on why those disappearances have been happening. She thinks that if you look into a mirror the right way, you'll disappear." Justin scratched his head.

"How does that work? Everybody looks into a mirror at least once or twice a day, but these disappearances are only happening like, once a week according to the news reports. What do you think the 'right way' to look into the mirror is?" Alexander shrugged.

"I have no idea. I asked Allie pretty much the same question, but she couldn't really come up with an answer. She said to wanted to record herself trying it on one of the girls' restroom mirrors at school, but Damien didn't want her trying something like that by herself in case it actually _worked._ So instead, we figured out a different place that we could try it: here, at our house."

"Oh, so _that's_ why you were telling mom and dad about them. You figure since this is _our_ place, we know we won't be interrupted or anything and if something crazy happens, our parents won't freak out... as much, I guess. Gotcha." Justin looked down at the floor, before walking into his brother's room to look at the full-length mirror that was inside. Something this big would probably be plenty enough for Allie to test her theory... which probably wouldn't yield any meaningful results. Probably.

"I swear, if it weren't for the crazy stuff that's happened to me already, I would've written her off as someone who watches too many horror movies. I'm still not totally sold on the idea, either, but the way I see it, if nothing else we'll at least get to hang out with some new friends. That eSports club Allie's a part of is totally up our alley, by the way. If we didn't already have plans, I was gonna stop by again today." Alexander and his brother were big on _Legion of Gladiators,_ which happened to be the most-played game at Fulton's eSports club. To actually find someone else that played the game seriously was an accomplishment in itself, much less meeting people that followed the professional side of the game.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Could seriously _never_ have something like that back home."

"Go on, get out of here. We still have one more day of school to get through first."

 **Friday, After School – Cloudy**

"So, this is your new place... you weren't kidding when you said you could _walk_ to school if you wanted to." Damien remarked as he and Allie stepped into Alexander's house. At this time of day, Alexander and Justin's parents were both still at work, which meant the group had the house to themselves to try out Allie's theory.

"This place is nice. It looks like it was recently built, too." Allie commented as she carried the bag holding her video camera inside.

"Where did you say your dad works again? You said it was in Houston, right?" Damien asked.

"A company called NetValencia. They used to be a startup some years back that my dad had helped get off the ground – they're into antivirus programs and computer security. Their biggest product is Valencia, which was just another antivirus thing until they found a really, really good way to make it better. When my dad heard about it, he got in contact with the owners and they said to him, 'We were hoping you'd get in touch with us again, there's a spot open for you if you want it.' So he said yes, and next thing you know, here we are." Alexander explained.

"As for our mom, she's working as an insurance agent for Red Badge here in Quartz. Basically between the both of their jobs, we're on our own until about six, so that's more than enough time to do this thing." Justin followed up on his brother's words. Allie nodded, and looked around the house for a mirror large enough to work with.

"You said your room had a full-length mirror, Alex?" She asked.

"Yeah. Come on, it's upstairs." Alexander led everyone up to his room. Allie noticed the mirror by the door and then retrieved her video camera from her bag, setting it up and then turning to Damien.

"Okay, so just keep this thing pointed at me no matter what. If... if something happens to me, we'll have it on video and you guys can call the cops."

"What are we going to tell the police if you _do_ vanish, though? That you stared into a mirror, went poof, and that we know you're in the woods somehow? I mean, we can't exactly show them the footage over the phone." Damien said. Justin looked between the two and said,

"You have to consider what happened in the previous cases. According to the previous news articles about them, no one called the police since there wasn't any obvious sign of the people being _taken_ by anything. The people involved stumbled out of the woods behind our school and it was only _then_ that anyone had any clue what had happened to them. The people were also all gone for less than twenty-four hours at a time, which isn't exactly enough time to designate someone as missing." That got everyone to look at him.

"So, what are you saying? If Allie disappears, you want to go into the woods ourselves and find her?" Damien asked. Justin shrugged.

"I mean, it's like you said. We don't have a believable story to tell the police if she _does_ disappear. In fact, somebody calling in about it when no one has done it before, especially _immediately_ after it happens, might even cast suspicion that _we're_ the ones doing it, or know whoever _is_ doing it. And the people that came back didn't have very serious injuries, just a few scrapes and bruises from traversing the woods, so they can't be _that_ dangerous if disoriented people can find a way out with no help. So yeah, I'm gonna say that if Allie vanishes, we go out to the woods ourselves to find her. It'll be quicker than having the cops doing it _and_ we won't draw any undue attention... hopefully." Allie adjusted her silver-rimmed glasses and said to Justin,

"You've really thought it through, huh? That sounds like a good plan to me. Now, Damien, are you ready? I'm going to introduce myself, and then when I'm done speaking you turn to Alex and Justin and they'll say their names too. After they're done, turn the camera back on me and whatever happens, _don't stop shooting._ Okay?" Damien nodded, pointing the camera at her.

"Alright. Let's go, then. Starting in five, four, three, two..." He hit the record button and Allie began speaking.

"My name is Allison Lorena de Luna. I'm a junior at Ruby J. Fulton High School, and I'm going to see whether or not looking into this mirror is going to make me disappear into the woods like those other people. If it does, then you'll know exactly how it happens. If not, then you'll know this isn't what causes it. I have three other witnesses with me: one is the cameraman, Damien Hall, and the other two will introduce themselves now." Damien turned the camera to the brothers. Alexander went first.

"Hey, my name is Alexander Black. I'm a junior at Fulton."

"I'm Justin Black, Alexander's brother. I'm a sophomore at Fulton." Justin gave a look towards Allie indicating he was done. Damien put the camera back on her, allowing her to continue.

"Okay. Here goes." She turned to the full-length mirror in front of her and looked into the eyes of her reflection, trying to act natural. Ten seconds passed, then twenty, then thirty, and then a whole minute had gone by with nothing happening.

"Hey, Allie, I don't think anything's gonna happen." Alexander said, but Allie ignored him completely. He blinked and saw that her reflection in the mirror was beginning to shimmer, as if the mirror was a pool of water and someone was tossing stones in it.

"What in the world... Justin, Damien, are you guys seeing this?" He said, briefly looking back at them to see by their increasingly incredulous expressions that yeah, they _were._ He turned back to see that Allie's reflection had begun to morph in front of her, becoming taller and prettier as the real Allie's eyes glazed over as she started to give her reflection a dopey-looking smile. The guys watched as the Allie in the mirror tossed her glasses away, her hair undoing itself from the bun the real Allie kept it in and her clothes morphing into something that looked like it belonged at a rave – a highlighter-green tube top, a tiny black jacket, and a deeply red miniskirt. The real Allie was even leaning in towards the mirror, her hypnotized smile turning into a greedy grin.

"Allie! Get away from the mirror! Stop!" Alexander rushed forward and grabbed Allie's arm, trying to pull her away. The moment he got ahold of her, a white light flashed all around him, and suddenly he was thrown aside and felt himself falling a ways in midair, landing face-first on something that felt like grass. He rolled over, sat up, and saw Allie begin to run away from him.

"I need... I need to find her!" He heard her shout, like it was a matter of life or death. Alexander saw that there were a few pockets of milky white quartz, and for a moment he felt like he'd been here before – but as soon as he made the connection between this place and the valley Philemon had taken him that first night here, quartz exploded around Allie, rising up and taking the shape of a warehouse. Alexander stood up, intent on running after her, but he saw the grass sprout a wall of vines around the warehouse, blocking his path.

He looked around the area and saw that was very much like the valley with quartz deposits that Philemon had taken him to right towards the end of their first meeting.

"He looked at this place and said something like, 'Oh, this is how it's gonna be, huh?'. It's like he was talking _to_ somebody, like this place was some sort of battle arena. But what does Allie have to do with it...?" His attention was caught by a set of nearby quartz deposits, that had begun to turn black.

"I don't think those are supposed to do that!" He exclaimed. The blackness in the quartz coalesced into three blobs that leaped forth from it, a mint green mask emerging from each individual blob with an single eye-shaped hole and marks at the bottom that looked like teeth. They took shape as thin, humanoid figures with sharp claws for hands, and they slowly began approaching him.

"What the hell are these things? Philemon? Igor? _Anybody?!_ Now would be a really good time to help!"

 **I am thou...**

 **Thou art I...**

Alexander heard the sound of a man's voice in his head, amplified so loud it gave him a headache. He crouched down, looking around to see who had said those words.

"Philemon? Is that you?" He asked, before realizing that the booming, baritone voice sounded nothing like Philemon's pleasant tenor. The creatures that had spawned from the quartz continued to walk towards him, and Alexander stumbled back with his eyes closed as the voice resounded in his mind again.

 **The time is now...**

 **Look within thineself and bring forth thine inner strength!**

When Alexander opened his eyes again, he saw that an object had been placed on the ground in front of him. He blinked and saw that it was a rectangular black-framed mirror large enough for him to see his entire face in. The mirror's frame was ornate, reminding Alexander of a coat of arms with a pair of lions on the sides of it – but there were no distinct shapes in the frame, just curves that made it look fancy.

"My inner strength is in a mirror? How does that help me fight off these things?! Well... I guess it's better than nothing!" Alexander picked up the mirror and looked into it, and saw his own image get replaced by that of a blonde-haired young man with green eyes, with a burgundy vest and a black collared shirt. He saw the blonde look directly at him, and he realized _this guy_ was the one that had been calling out to him.

"So, it's you, huh...? My inner strength is... alright. I get it now." Alexander stood up, facing the creatures that looked like they were about to lunge at him. He smiled, and looked into the mirror once again and found that a new word was on his lips, telling him just exactly what that other self was.

"Per... so... na." His mirror was engulfed in blue flames, and before him appeared the full figure of the young man that was just in the mirror. He had a holstered sword that he drew upon seeing the creatures threatening Alexander. To him, this other self looked like a noble from some Shakespearean play – a thought that was instantly completed when his name appeared in his head.

"Hamlet!" The blonde turned his head back towards him.

" _Yes! Your friend is in peril, is she not? I am ready and willing to cut through any and all opposition in order to save her – you need only give the word!"_ Alexander then realized he already knew what attacks Hamlet was capable of, and nodded as he focused on the nearest masked creature.

"Pierce!" He called out. Hamlet leaped forward and stabbed the creature in the mask, destroying it as he pulled his sword out. The other two remaining ones attacked him, and as he raised his sword to block them, they grazed his arms. Alexander felt his own arms get scratched at the same time, to his surprise.

"That hurt!" Hamlet moved away from the attackers and spoke to Alexander once more.

" _Yes, it did. Remember, Alexander, we are both the same entity! Whatever damage one of us takes is damage sustained by the other!"_

"Got it. Yeah, the whole 'I am thou, thou art I' thing... you really meant it, didn't you? Fine! It's time to strike back. Pierce!" Hamlet stabbed another one of the creatures, killing it in a single blow. Alexander watched the movements of the last enemy and before he could say anything, Hamlet moved out of the way of its attack, and then responded with a counterattack that eliminated it.

" _We are connected in a way that does not require that you voice every command. Keep that in mind."_ Hamlet spoke, but this time Alexander heard his other self's words in his head rather than out loud. In turn, he responded in his thoughts:

 _Got it._

" _Our victory over the Shadows has also granted us newfound strength. I am now capable of using Tarukaja, which will bolster my attack power for a short time. It should serve us well in saving Allie. Now, let us move forward!"_ Hamlet disappeared back into the mirror, which rematerialized in Alexander's hand. He nodded and ran towards the wall of vines blocking his way into the quartz warehouse.

"Hamlet, we gotta get through here! Cut down these vines!" The mirror was consumed by blue fire and Hamlet appeared, swinging his sword at the wall and cutting a path for him. He disappeared and Alexander ran up to the doors of the warehouse, where an ethereal voice that sounded like Allie's echoed into his ears.

" **All of this can be yours, other me! You don't ever have to leave here again..."** It _sounded_ like Allie's, yet it spoke in a tone that the real Allie would never use. Alexander took hold of one of the doors, opened it, and ran inside.

He saw two Allies – but in front of the one he was familiar with was the one that had appeared in the mirror back in his room, with two male mannequins in skinny jeans on her arms. He quickly took in the surroundings and realized this was like a rave warehouse, with a mannequin DJ in the back providing loud, thumping electronic music and lights scattering about all over the place.

"A-are you sure? You mean I can really... be like you?"

"Allie!" Alexander called out to her. She turned around and froze upon seeing him, unable to respond. The idealized Allie rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers towards the real one, saying,

" **Ignore him! Why do you care about some guy you've only known for a week? He doesn't _know_ you, how could he possibly give you what you want? He's just like all the other guys, anyway!"**

"Hey, what the hell do you know about me?! You don't know anything about me!" Alexander shouted at her as he ran up to stand in front of the real Allie. The other one threw the mannequins to the ground in anger, and Alexander noticed that she was now exerting a blue aura of some kind, prompting him to look into his mirror and prepare to summon Hamlet.

" **Admit it, other me. I'm who you really want to be, aren't I? This is the kind of life you dream about. You have all those boys from the eSports club, but none of them are good enough for you. You wish you had the excitement of a place like this every single day, with a body that no man could resist! You don't _need_ anyone to understand you if they're all hanging off your every word!"** The real Allie looked down at herself, covering her chest with her arms and shaking.

"Damien... Damien tries to understand me. He never judged me for being who I am." She said, her voice trembling. Her idealized self attempted to walk past Alexander, but he responded by shouting Hamlet's name and calling on his Persona.

"That's enough! Whatever you are, you're not getting Allie! Pierce!" Hamlet stabbed at the idealized Allie, who was knocked back by the attack but otherwise seemed more ticked off than anything else. The real Allie stepped back several steps after seeing Alexander summon some kind of warrior, and began to wonder just what was going on.

" **Look at this white knight in shining armor, charging forward to protect his _Dulcinea._ Don't you wish it was _Damien_ rushing to your rescue, instead of this random _oaf?_ Maybe if you had my looks, my charisma, he might've chased after you instead. He might have even admitted that he loves you. Isn't that what you would have wanted?"** Alexander was confused as to what this other Allie was trying to do. It hadn't bothered to attack her, but was instead trying to get into her head for some reason, like convincing her it was right was its sole purpose for existing.

 _It's like those things I fought earlier, those things Hamlet called Shadows. Except... this thing can think, and it's trying to convince Allie that she's the better Allie. Except the Allie I know doesn't play mind games._

"Shut up with your mind games already! Can't you see Allie's not buying it?" Alexander shouted, getting both of the Allies' attention. He turned to face the real Allie, who looked scared of both him _and_ her idealized self.

"Listen, we might have only known each other for a week, but believe me when I say that Damien isn't the only one that's okay with you just as you are now. Nobody's perfect, and this _thing_ is trying to trick you into thinking that the real you isn't good enough! There's no way you can believe that crap!" Allie looked up at Alexander, who was the only thing standing in between her and her other self. She walked in front of him, looked her other self in her glowing brown eyes, and spoke.

"He's... right, you know. I know I'm not perfect, I know I could be better, and maybe I _do_ wish Damien was here to save me. But both he _and_ Alex are okay with the real me. This place is amazing, yeah. The thing is... it's not real. Neither are you. I can't be someone I'm not, which is why I don't want to _be_ you." The other Allie stepped back, flabbergasted. The blue aura around her was now turning black, until it covered her body with moving white stripes.

" **You don't want to be _me?_ You're hopeless! I'm going to make you see the truth..."** The black and white stripes flashed, quartz beginning to form around the other Allie like a chrysalis. Allie backed away from it.

"You gotta get out of here! Don't worry about me, I can fight it!" Alexander said, pointing to the exit. Allie ran towards the exit, but stuck around by the doors, watching as the chrysalis expanded and then exploded, revealing a monstrous creature in place of her doppelganger.

It looked like a living light show, its body full of different colored flashing lights. Its arms each held a different colored glowstick, each one crackling with electricity. Its hair was a rainbow of different colors, and it wore a hexagonal ring around its chest.

" **I am an Idol! I'm everything you wish you could be, but aren't!"** Idol Allie pointed one of her glowsticks at the real Allie, who clung to the door and realized it was made out of rock on the outside rather than wood.

" _It is a strong enemy. We should endeavor to bring it down as quickly as possible!"_ Hamlet spoke from within Alexander's mind. Alexander nodded, and brought the mirror to his face.

"I hear you. Hamlet, use Tarukaja!" His Persona made a pose with his rapier in hand, and a red-orange burst of light erupted from underneath him. After that, he felt like he could punch a rock into bits.

" **Get out of my way!"** Idol Allie shouted as she swung one of her electrified glowsticks at Hamlet. Hamlet moved out of the way of the attack, barely missing it.

"Now it's our turn! Pierce!" Alexander said as he brought out Hamlet from the mirror again. His Persona stabbed at the Idol, damaging it and causing the electricity around it to crackle.

Alexander and his Persona traded several more blows with the living light show, before the extra power from Tarukaja wore off and he stood there with his mirror in hand, panting and looking up at the Idol who was showing signs of damage herself.

" **You tenacious little insect! I'll kill you, and then Allie will have no _choice_ but to accept me or die!"** The Idol said, pointing its glowstick towards the door where Allie remained, watching the guy she'd only met earlier this week defend her from... herself, apparently. Whatever that supernatural being that kept appearing to attack the thing that called itself her Idol seemed to be concentrated in the ornate black mirror Alexander possessed.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen. You're going down! Hamlet! Tarukaja!" The young noble appeared once more and powered up his other self. The Idol fired a lightning bolt at him, which came out too quickly for him to dodge. Alexander was rattled by the impact, and watched as Hamlet dissipated back into the mirror.

 _I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. If this thing doesn't go down soon, I won't have the energy to keep on fighting, and then Allie will be defenseless against that thing..._

"No. I can't... let that happen." Alexander stood up straight, looking up at the Idol, who had several pieces of itself broken and sparking from damage. He had the power, maybe with one more strike to the heart – or whatever substitute for a heart that thing had – it would finally go down...

"Alright. We're going all in! Hamlet!" The mirror shattered again, and Hamlet floated before the Idol.

" _Yes! Now is the time!"_ Alexander's eyes flashed momentarily, and he reared back his right hand like he himself was holding Hamlet's sword. Hamlet mimicked the action, ready to strike.

"Now!" Alexander thrust forward with his hand, and Hamlet did the same, striking the Idol in the midsection and causing sparks to fly everywhere. It stumbled backwards, and fell over, groaning in pain.

"Show no mercy! Take it out!" He called out. Hamlet leaped into the air and aimed his sword for the Idol's head; he allowed gravity to take hold of him and fell freely towards the motionless enemy, his sword impaling it through the middle of its forehead. Its screams dissolved away as its body crystallized into quartz, which broke apart into dust and revealed the Idol's previous form, who was kneeling and looking down at the ground.

Allie came out from behind the quartz door and approached Alexander and her other self. Alexander had his hands on his knees and was panting heavily, with the supernatural being he called Hamlet bowing to her before disappearing and the mirror he spawned from rematerializing in Alexander's hand. He turned around and saw that she had come back.

"What _was that?_ How did you do all that?" She asked him.

"Oh, you mean Hamlet? He's my Persona. Uh... I'm kinda unable to think much past that right now, sorry." Behind him, the other Allie rose to her feet, staggering as she struggled to look at the real one.

" **I don't... understand. Why won't you... accept me?"** Alexander reacted by standing upright, turning around and getting into a fighting stance again.

"It's okay, Alex. Let me talk to her." Allie said. Alexander relented, but kept a close eye on the two of them in case Idol Allie tried anything suspicious. Allie walked forward and looked her other self in the eye.

"It's not that I don't like what you've shown me. It's just... I'm happy with who I am now. I don't need to be taller, or more shapely, or have guys crawling all over me to be a rave queen like you. And I know I could be more expressive. I'll get there! I just need to work on it. Sure, I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I do have," Allie looked back at Alexander,

"The ones I have would still love me even with all my weird quirks." Her other self chuckled, sighing as she regained her stability.

" **Well, whaddya know. I guess there's room for the both of us after all."** She became enveloped in blue flames and transformed into a lithe female figure with snakes for hair, that stood before Allie as a mirror came into existence in front of her. It looked similar to the compact mirror she kept with her, except this one had a marble finish on its casing.

" _I am Medusa. Don't worry, the only ones that are going to turn to stone will be our enemies!"_ Her Persona spoke. Allie held her breath, and took hold of the floating mirror.

"W-what? Is this... what did you call it, Alex, a Persona? Why do I get a _Gorgon?_ " Medusa frowned, and gestured to her clothing. Unlike the legendary Gorgon, she was wearing clothing that resembled the rave ensemble her Idol self had worn, and stood on two legs like a normal human being.

 _"_ _ _Weren't you just talking about accepting yourself just as you are, even with your weird quirks? I'm you, and you're me. And the snakes are nice, I promise!"__ Allie cracked up laughing at her Persona, who shook her head and smiled.

"You really are, aren't you? Oh. Um. Still, this is... of all the things I expected to happen to me, this was way beyond anything I could've imagined." Medusa disappeared and Allie looked at the mirror she was holding.

"Yeah, same here. And that's coming from the guy who met Philemon and Igor this week. This place, though. It looked like that valley Philemon took me to in my dreams – you remember, right?" Alexander said, beginning to walk towards the exit of the warehouse. Allie followed him out, saying,

"You said he took you to an endless valley filled with quartz deposits. I don't remember much of anything after I was taken in here except the quartz, so maybe you're right. More importantly, though... did you see an exit or anything? How are we supposed to get out?" The two of them left the warehouse, and walked back towards the opening Hamlet had made in the wall of vines.

"I hadn't looked." Alexander responded. Allie turned around and took in the imagery of the quartz warehouse with its wall of vines.

"Wow. So... was this already here?" Alexander leaned on the wall of vines and explained to her everything that had happened. While amazed, Allie had one question to ask at the end of it:

"I encountered my Idol here, but you didn't. Why was that? Was it because I was the only one looking in the mirror?" Alexander shrugged.

"I don't know. You said before that there was probably a specific way you had to look at the mirror, and none of us ever got an explanation as to what the 'right way' was... but apparently you figured it out. Oh, hell." Alexander remembered that Justin and Damien were given instructions to go into the woods to try and find Allie if she disappeared, since everyone had figured that's where she would end up.

"What is it?"

"My brother and Damien. They're probably combing the woods right now trying to look for us. We gotta get outta here, and fast." He stood up and ran back towards the place he and Allie had entered the valley, and to his dismay saw nothing that looked like it would take them to the woods – there was not a single tree in the valley, at least from what he could see. He glared at a nearby quartz deposit, kicking it and saying,

"There's nothing here but grass and rocks!"

"I resent that! I am neither grass nor rock, nor Shadow either!" A high-pitched voice spoke from behind them, and the two Persona-users turned around to see another unexpected thing: another person, who appeared to be a high school student just like them, except wearing an ankle-length dress that seemed like they were made out of the very materials that surrounded them. Even her shoes, which were shaped to look like wedge heels, were made of quartz. The most prominent thing about this short Hispanic-looking girl was that she was translucent, her body fading in and out as she breathed.

"What in the world? Who are you?" Alexander asked, unsure if this new person was an enemy or not.

"Are you a ghost?" Allie asked at the same time. The girl in the grass-and-quartz dress humphed at them, before snapping her fingers and sitting down on a chair made of quartz.

"I guess you could say that, yeah. What I want to know is this: who are __you two,__ and how did the two of you survive against the Shadows?" Alexander took the time to explain to the ghost girl how they got here and what had happened to them. None of it seemed to impress her, at least up until the part where the Personas came in and Allie's Idol was defeated.

"You did what now? You actually managed to win against one of those things? Seriously? I wish _I'd_ had that power when I stood up to my Idol. If you're wondering why I look like a ghost, you get three guesses as to what happened to me when I refused to accept it, and the first two don't count. I don't know how long I've been in here for, time doesn't seem to flow the same way as it does back in the real world. In fact, what's really stupid is that even though I remember how I got here and how I died, I don't remember _anything else_ about myself other than the initials of my name, F.Z. I heard you two talk about finding a way out."

"Do you know how we can leave?" Allie asked. F.Z. crossed her legs and sighed.

"Everybody else that I've seen that's come in here gives in to their Idol. After that happens, they sort of merge together and then disappear, I guess back into the real world if what you were saying about those disappearances is right. That's the only way I've seen people leave this place. Except... it's not the only way to _get_ _out._ " She stood up, materialized a screwdriver-shaped piece of quartz into her hand, and jammed it into the air, carving a hole in space that faded away to reveal a portal with the same moving zebra stripes that had appeared on Allie's Idol.

"I figured this out after getting so frustrated with my situation that I wanted to kill something. I can't actually interact with Shadows, so when I learned _that_ I got so mad that I cut open a hole in space, just like you see here. Except..." She reached out her hand towards the portal and was able to put her hand on it, as if it was a wall.

"Yeah, this always happens. I can make these portals, but I can never go through them." She reared her hand back and punched the portal, the sound echoing through the valley.

"Nope. Still can't do it. You two, on the other hand, might be able to go through." Alexander walked up to the portal and tried sticking his hand in it. He was able to pass through it, the zebra stripes bending around his wrist. It felt like cool gel constantly flowing over his skin, and he pulled it out and looked to F.Z.

"Where does this go?" He asked, but he didn't get an answer. Instead, she had decided to take her chair and smash it into a nearby quartz deposit, growling at him.

"Shit! Of _course_ it works for you, doesn't it? The only two actual people I get to meet in who knows _how the hell long_ and they're already going to leave me! That's just great, that's just _fucking dandy,_ isn't it?" She fumed, turning her back to both Alexander and Allie.

"Go ahead, leave. Go back to your normal, everyday lives. You beat your Idol, and in his case you never had one to begin with. There's no reason for you to be here anymore, so go home and _leave me the fuck alone._ " F.Z. shook with anger as the two Persona-users looked at each other.

"You've really been here by yourself all this time?" Alexander asked her.

"Yes! It's felt like a fucking year, spent by myself being alone in this fucking valley with the only signs of life showing up whenever someone winds up in here!" F.Z. said, making Alexander stop and consider what it would have been like to be alone for an entire year in a place like this.

"A whole year... I was gonna get on your case for being an asshole, but after hearing that, I don't blame you for being so mad. I wouldn't have even bothered opening the portal if I were in your position – I would've forced Allie and you to stay here for a while if our roles were switched. That's it, I've made up my mind. I'm coming back here." That made her stop shaking and turn around to face him, and suddenly Alexander felt how small she was in relation to him – not just because she looked almost a foot shorter than him, but also because she couldn't have been older than maybe fourteen and had no one, not even in her memories, to keep her company.

"What? Why do you want to come back? Why do you care? I haven't done anything for you!"

"Yeah, you have. You knew the only way out of this place and you didn't have to open it for us. You could've kept us locked up in here forever if you wanted to, but you're deliberately letting us go even if it meant you'd never see us again. And listen, if I had been trapped in this place for as long as you have, I'd _definitely_ want somebody to spend time with me. I can figure out how to get back here and I have Hamlet to fight for me, so it's no big deal." F.Z. was speechless.

"No big deal... are you serious? You're not just screwing with me, are you? Trying to get my hopes up and shit?" Alexander shook his head.

"Not screwing with you in the least. I'm really beat up from fighting, so I gotta recover from that first, but once I do I'm _going_ to return here. That's not a question, that's a promise." She raised a finger at him, as if to argue the point, but dropped her arm and lowered her shoulders, sighing.

"Fine, whatever, you weirdo. If you really are serious... then call out to me whenever you show up again. This place is as quiet as a cemetery when there's no one around, and yeah, I know how ironic that sounds coming from me. I'll show up and I guess we can do something together... actually, Alex, don't come alone. Bring Allie with you." For a second, Alexander wondered why she had said that – but then of course, even if she was a ghost girl residing in some supernatural valley, she was still a fourteen-year-old girl and he a sixteen-year-old guy. She didn't come off to him as the type to easily trust people, anyway.

"Alright. Fine with me. Is that fine with you, Allie?" Allie nodded, straightening out her glasses.

"Yeah. There's still so many things I want to know about this place. Come on, Alex. We have to go and call Damien and your brother."

"Right. F.Z., it was nice meeting you. We're coming back. Count on it." Allie went over to the portal and stepped through it, Alexander following behind her. The both of them emerged right where they disappeared – in front of the full-length mirror in Alexander's room. They noticed that the room was empty, the video camera gone and Justin's phone missing.

"Okay, first I've gotta call my brother and..." Alexander began, but as he moved towards his phone, he suddenly felt the weight of everything that had happened to him crash down all at once, and fell to the floor, feeling exhausted.

"Alex! Are you okay?" Allie said, leaning down to help him up. He felt like he was going to pass out, but tried to stay awake long enough to talk to Allie.

"Man, I... didn't think that... was gonna happen. Help me into bed. Call Justin, tell him what happened. I'll... be fine. Just gotta... take a nap." He raised his hand, and Allie mustered up her strength to lift him up off of the floor and helped him onto his bed.

"Okay. You get some rest. I'll take care of it." He didn't respond, having already slipped into unconscious seconds after he laid down again. For a moment, Allie debated whether or not to use his phone, but since his was right in front of her, she grabbed it and found Justin's number in it.

"I wish we had been able to take my camera in there. It's going to be hard enough explaining what happened already, but I know they'll believe me anyway. They have to."

* * *

 **A/N: For the record, I don't intend to rewrite the entire main story in any of these alternate timelines. If you've seen how long it's taken me to write the original, you can probably guess why.**

 **Guest (Nov. 24) - That bit of fanon about P3P is half the reason this story thread exists, though as you said, Alexander and Lydia are not siblings. Hope to see you again on your account.**

 **Thunderbird013 - I update one, then I update the other. I figure bouncing back and forth between the main story and the alternate stories will keep me consistently writing.**


	3. Lynne Meets Her Ideal Self

_(Lynne meets her Idol and experiences the consequences of accepting it - in the main story, read Chapter 20 for Lynne's introduction and the alternate Chapter 30 for more of her perspective)_

 **August 13, 2015 - Thursday, Morning - Sunny**

It's just another day in paradise.

That's what I liked to think about summers in my hometown of Quartz, Texas. It's between Houston and Galveston, not more than an hour's drive between either. That meant there was always an opportunity for a beach vacation or a visit to the big city, without actually having to live in either place.

Of course, now that school's coming up, it's becoming less like paradise and more like a countdown back to the everyday grind. I got my driver's license this past January, which means I should've been able to do so much more with a car of my own - but no. I'm not allowed to leave town, and I have to tell my parents where I'm going every time I go out. Quartz is not exactly a hotbed of criminal activity; I can't imagine I'd actually want to _go_ anywhere that would put me in any sort of danger.

I sit up in my bed and stretch my arms. I don't know what I'm going to do today. The other me in the mirror directly across from my bed looks disheveled and groggy, but what else is new? I've always looked like that on waking up. I look around for my phone, and find it next to the bedside lamp. I open up Visage to see what's going in the lives of the people I've added as friends there.

Nothing much, really... one of my adult cousins from Beaumont posting about how the humidity sometimes gets unbearable, which I can definitely sympathize with. It's enough reason to keep the air conditioner permanently on in my bedroom, as otherwise the buildup of stagnant heat and water vapor becomes stifling after enough time. Another post is from someone from school that I added last year, talking about how they wish summer vacation lasted until the actual end of summer in mid-September. Wouldn't that be nice, having a four-month vacation instead of a two-month one? It'd probably just mean we'd have to go to school six days a week with absolutely no breaks except for Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Good Friday, and Martin Luther King Day. All of those put together only constitute a week. I don't know if it'd be worth it.

Junior year's almost here. That means I'll have to start thinking about college, taking tests to have the scores I need to get into whatever college I'm going to go to, and probably a lot of stuff that actually is going to determine how the rest of my life is going to play out. It's honestly something I'm looking forward to. I can't wait to strike out on my own, to be able to take advantage of the freedom that comes with being an adult.

I look over at the me in the mirror with her bird's nest bedhead and sigh. I get out of my bed and start changing into the clothes I'm going to wear for the day - another one of my t-shirts from the ton of them I already have and some comfortable shorts. As I'm combing my hair in front of my mirror, I wonder about what I'm going to do today; it's probably just going to be sitting in my room watching TV, listening to music, and messing around online like the last few days. Once I've gotten my hair mostly straightened out - as straight as curly-wavy hair like mine gets without two hot plates clamping it down, I guess - I put the comb back in its place and let out a breath, putting a hand on the mirror.

Mirrors are funny things, sometimes. When I was a little kid, I used to think that maybe if I said the right words or believed hard enough, that I could actually touch my twin sister on the other side of the mirror. As much as I've liked not having to deal with all the annoying things siblings can do to a person, there's still a part of me that wonders what my life would have been like if my parents had decided to have another child. I used to wonder about a lot more than that, too. I remember feeling so cool when my parents let me see the third Impervious movie, _Impervious Desert,_ or the second _Mist of Midnight_ movie, where the main character's daughter grows up to become a vampire hunter just like him. Being seven years old and watching action flicks like that made me wish I could've taken part in something that cool.

"But no, that's not really how the world works for people like me." I speak aloud, immediately shaking my head at the silliness of voicing my thoughts when there's no one around to hear them. I pull my hand back from the mirror and notice that the image of me still has her hand up against the mirror.

I rear back, waving my hand in front of the mirror. The image of me is still frozen in the same spot, and for a second I think I haven't actually woken up yet today - I must still be dreaming! Yet there's the other me, still in that position until she's suddenly not, wiping her hand across the diagonal of the mirror and making it shimmer like it was a pool of water. When the image becomes clear again, there's suddenly a different version of me in the mirror. She wears a red scarf over something that looks like a cross between a black spy suit and a corset dress, and stands taller than me by several inches.

I don't know what else to think about her except that she's like all my childhood fantasies come to life!

I can't think of anything else right now except to look into her eyes, those gorgeous brown eyes that make me feel like reaching out to her and hoping she takes me with her, to go on those adventures I've so longed to be a part of! The world flashes around me, and I feverishly run after her as she turns and disappears into what looks to be a darkened forest, with vines and trees sprouting of the ground in all directions around me as I continue to chase her. Nothing can stop this feeling that I absolutely have to catch her!

I should be thinking about other things right now, shouldn't I? No, nothing else matters! I jump over logs, rocks, vines, and run, run, run until I finally catch up to her.

Once I stop, the world around me becomes clear, and I realize just exactly where I've ended up: it's a log cabin of sorts, except far larger than what I would normally think of upon hearing "log cabin" - it's more like a log hotel in size. The other me is sitting behind a table drinking what appears to be a cup of tea, and behind her there seems to be some kind of chemistry setup behind panels of glass.

 **"Come on. Sit down. I want to talk to you about something."** Her voice has this odd echo to it, like someone is putting a filter on top of her voice that's pitching it up into this eerie, child-like tone. Underneath the echo, she sounds like an older, more self-assured version of me, like I might sound in ten years if I was the CEO of a major company. She gestures to the chair across from her, and I sit down in it.

 **"I heard what you were thinking about wanting to break out of the tedium of your current life. You want to know who I am, or what I am? I'm who you wish you could be, though I'd be surprised if you haven't already figured that out, because I know you're intelligent enough to connect the dots."**

Now that the strange euphoria that preceded my coming in here has gone away, the reality of whatever kind of situation I've gotten myself into is beginning to sink in. I got pulled into some alternate dimension by this person claiming to be the embodiment of who I most want to be - I ran through a forest of some kind with no shoes on and wearing simply a t-shirt and shorts. I look down at my bare legs, expecting to see cuts, scratches, or any sign that would've indicated that I just ran through a heavily forested area, but there's nothing - not even any dirt on my feet.

"What kind of place is this? What exactly do you want me to do?" I ask her. She puts down her tea and puts her hands together, as if she's about to make me some kind of a deal.

 **"Only what you already want to do. You see, this place we're in is a place where dreams become reality, and where the limitations of your world are no longer capable of holding you back. In here, you can do everything you've always wanted to do! There's only one thing keeping you from seizing what's rightfully yours."** Part of me wants to get up from the chair and run as far away as I can, but that part's squashed pretty quickly as I realize I have no idea how I'd get back to my room. Instead, I focus on the miniature laboratory behind the other me - it doesn't match with the rest of the room we're in, and it has a metal door at the back that I assume leads to some underground bunker or something.

"What's that? I have to go with you into that lab of yours back there?" I ask her. She smiles, shaking her head.

 **"No, nothing like what you're thinking right now. You don't even have to leave your seat. All you have to do is agree to let me become part of you. Everything will become clear once you do."** She extends her hand out to me. I look down at my hand, and see that our fingernails are shaped exactly the same, our fingers are the same length, our palms have the same lines in the same places. Her hand is pretty much what mine would look like after a manicure.

"You're really me, huh? Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, just so I'm sure we're the same?" She places her palm on the table and takes a sip of her tea with her left hand.

 **"Okay. Try me."** Now I have to think of something only I would know the answer to, something no one else would remember. Let's start with a school question.

"Which year was the only one I didn't receive the perfect attendance award?"

 **"Third grade. You lost the doctor's excuse before taking it to school after you were sick for a couple of days."** Yeah, because I told my mother I could be trusted to keep it the night before I was supposed to go back to school and it disappeared on me the next morning. I swear it's still in my room somewhere. Speaking of my room...

"What's the number of my limited edition Precious Remnant album?"

 **"15,113 of 20,000. You have the poster the album cover unfolds into posted on your closet door."** Okay, if she knows _that..._ well, I'll try one more question. I'll try something from my childhood, something really, really personal. I sigh, twiddling my fingers as I work up the courage to voice this question aloud.

"My first crush... who was it?" She chuckles fondly at the question, and taps her fingers on the table as she speaks.

 **"Oh. That would be Lyndon Clark, all the way back in first grade. You liked him because his name sounded like yours, because he had really nice handwriting, and because he used to play along with you when you pretended to be a superhero. Master Clark and Lady Faire, the classiest of them all!"**

What?! How- okay, there's no way... wow, okay. I cross my arms and refuse to even look at her, trying to ignore the fact that my cheeks are burning red with embarrassment. She chuckles again, as if she thinks it's a quaint, cute little memory - which it _is,_ it's just... oh my gosh! I slap my cheeks lightly to try and make the blushing stop.

"Okay! I get it! You're me! I won't ask you any more questions." She extends her hand across the table again.

 **"In that case, are you ready to accept my offer? I promise you won't regret it."** Once again, I look at how our hands are pretty much the same. Which makes total sense now, since this other me is just that, _another self._ Wherever this goes, I don't really know, but I'm just crazy enough to dive in and see where it leads.

"Yes." I grasp her hand and shake it. For a moment, nothing happens. She doesn't move at all, her eyes stuck open where they were when they were looking directly at me. It's like she froze up.

The world then quickly warps around me. The log cabin, the other me, everything about my surroundings is suddenly pulled into a point on the horizon like it was a TV that was suddenly shut off, and I land on my bottom in the midst of a humid forest with the sun still in its morning position.

* * *

This is... wait. Where am I? What happened to me? How did I get here? I stand up and look around, trying not to panic. The last thing I remember, I was talking to myself about how mirrors were funny things, and then... then I'm here. Is this... is this what happened to the people in the news? I remember, I remember seeing how people would mysteriously disappear from their homes or from work and end up here - and then they'd come down with that strange mental disorder, Narcissus Syndrome. If I remember correctly, they all had this odd mark on their left shoulder. I don't want to check if I have it, because I don't want this to be real. I don't want to become another news story!

Okay, okay. I need to calm down. Breathe. Breathe steadily. Okay.

Everyone else that ended up here managed to find their way out, which means so can I. Now, let's think. The forest everyone was pulled into, it was behind Ruby J. Fulton High School. That's the very same school I go to, so if I'm lucky and pick the right direction, I should end up there. If not, then I'm guaranteed to run into _some semblance_ of civilization. This forest isn't tiny, but it's not so big that I'll be here longer than a few hours at most. Oh, I wish I'd been holding my phone. It might not work out here, but I could at least _try_ to call my parents and tell them not to call the police. Now, they'll eventually come to check on me and then lose their minds and then call the police and then make this whole thing into something I never wanted to be a part of. Depending on when that happens, I may or may not have police officers trying to find me. Great.

Focus! I need to... I need to focus. Standing around here is not getting me anywhere. Okay. I have no idea where any of these directions lead, so... let's just pick one of them and pray. I start running past trees, trees, and more trees, feeling grass, dirt, and twigs underneath my bare feet. After several minutes, I'm already starting to sweat because of the stupid heat and humidity around here. I hate humidity. This temperature would be perfectly tolerable up north, but here in southeast Texas it feels sticky, stifling, and gross! I'm going to take a long shower once I get home, I swear. I just need to get out of this place first, and the only way to do that is if I keep moving in the same direction, as straight as I can so I don't end up running in circles.

More running. More humidity, more sweat sticking my clothes to my body. The sun glares at me as if it's got a personal vendetta against me and it wants me to suffer for trespassing in its forest. There's still no sign of a street, or a fence, or a backyard, or anything that would reassure me that I'm not completely lost right now. My feet are starting to hurt from running on all the twigs and sticks and tree roots and whatever. By now, my parents are frantically searching the house, freaking out that I'm gone - vanished into thin air like those other people on the news. They've called the police already, I just know it. The only way this could be worse if it was raining, or it was during school. Oh my gosh, school. I'm going to be endlessly questioned about all this. People will never stop asking me about Narcissus Syndrome or the mark on my shoulder that I don't want to look at. No more sleeveless shirts for me, and forget pool parties from now on. All people are going to see when they look at me is that stupid mark.

I stop running and take a break underneath one of the big trees. I'm not exactly a cross country runner or anything, but I've _had_ to have covered at least two or three miles by now, right? I've been running so much that I'm now completely sweaty, and there's _still_ no sign of me getting out of here. I must have picked the wrong direction, the worst possible one. I _know_ I'll eventually get out! This place is completely surrounded by man-made objects! I just need to keep going and I'm _guaranteed_ to find _something!_ I just need to hang out in the shade for a little longer, and then I'll keep going, maybe a little slower. Ugh, I wish I had some water right now. I'm starting to get really thirsty. I noticed that I haven't run into any animals out here. I hope it stays that way; the last thing I need is to be running away from something that wants to hurt me.

I hate running. I never want to do it again. My chest hurts, my legs are sore, my feet hurt, and I'm probably starting to get dehydrated. I feel like I've ran over ten miles - just how _big_ is this forest?! I'm walking the rest of the way, I don't care if it takes me longer now. I'm already going to have to answer a ton of questions from police, news stations, my parents, my friends, and probably random strangers that recognize me in public; it's just better to put that off a little longer now. I look up and see the sun's only gotten hotter and the humidity only gotten worse. If there was a river nearby, I would probably just jump into it with all my clothes on and sit in it for an hour. I have to keep going, though. The only thing I hate more than running or all the incoming publicity is sticking around in this place any longer than I have to.

Finally. Finally, at last, I can see a road, glorious pavement! I think this whole incident has been enough to put me off camping for the next year, at least. I'm tired, I'm hot, I'm sticky, I'm thirsty, and all I want to do is go home and pretend none of this ever happened. Just as soon as I reach the road, I should be able to figure out how to get back home. I walk up to the road and look back and forth along it. It looks like some kind of back road, as there aren't any houses or anything nearby. I wish I recognized it, but at least now I have something to follow along with. It's only a matter of time before some car drives by and stops to ask what I'm doing all the way out here in these clothes, but now I've resigned myself to my fate. I continue walking along the side of the road, the sounds of nature annoying me further as I await being picked up by someone.

My heartbeat rises and falls as cars pass by me without stopping. One of them is going to stop next to me, I know it. It's just not the guy talking on his phone, or the lady with no peripheral vision, or the guy who glanced at me worryingly but didn't bother to do anything because I guess he didn't feel he needed to. I still don't know where this road is in relation to anything else in town, and although I can see an intersection with some houses in the distance, it'll still be at least half a mile before I can get close enough to see the street signs. Now that I'm walking, I feel a little bit better than I was when I was running, but my body is still telling me that I should find some place to rest already.

Beacon Drive. What a stupidly fitting name for a street. The road I was just on is called Hanover Avenue. I've never seen these streets in my life. It's occurred to me that even though I'm a sweaty, barefoot mess, the city of Quartz largely has no idea that I'm another one of the disappeared people yet. That's why nobody's bothering to help me. No one _knows._ They're not going to think about why there's a teenage girl underneath a street sign in the middle of the day. It's weird, but who cares? There's lunch to be had, places to go, people to see, things to be. They have no idea what I've just gone through. They don't care about me. Why would they? I'm just another incident. The sound of sirens breaks my train of thought, and my stomach drops as I turn around to see the flashing lights come down Beacon Drive.

It's finally time to face the consequences. I didn't even _do_ anything, and now I'm going to be punished for it. I wave my hands back and forth, getting the attention of the police officer who parks themselves right next to the intersection. The officer rolls down their window and says to me,

"Are you Lynne Faire?" I shrug, giving her a look that's basically asking her "Are you stupid?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that's me. I'm her, I'm Lynne Faire. I'm your next news story. Now please, take me with you and let's get this all over with."

* * *

 **Original upload date: May 18, 2016**

 **A/N: Lots of people like to imagine what a story would look like if told from the perspective of the opposition. Since Lynne eventually plays a major part in being antagonist to the Quartz Idol Busters by forming its counterpart team, Sycophanta, I wanted to be able to show people her side of the story.**


End file.
